United Airlines Bans Passenger for Urinating on Traveler

San Francisco, USA  — United Airlines has banned a business class passenger from all future flights after he allegedly urinated on another traveler during a long-haul flight from San Francisco to Manila.

Jerome Gutierrez, the victim of the incident, recounted that he was asleep four hours into the 15-hour flight when he woke up soaked in another man’s urine. The man, a stranger to Gutierrez, reportedly stood up and relieved himself directly onto the passenger instead of using the restroom.

Gutierrez’s stepdaughter, Nicole Cornell, described the ordeal, saying her stepfather initially thought he was dreaming when he awoke to find himself wet. “He was asleep and buckled in and was surprised when he looked at the man and thought he was dreaming. Jerome realized he was soaked from his stomach down in that man’s urine,” she told SFGATE.

Despite the incident, Gutierrez had to endure the remainder of the flight in damp and smelly clothing. Cornell criticized United Airlines for its handling of the situation, expressing frustration that her stepfather was warned not to confront the offending passenger to avoid a potentially violent altercation.

“I am so disgusted and in shock with how United Airlines handled this! That is a biohazard, and the plane should’ve turned around to address this issue. They put the needs of the airline before my stepdad’s health,” she added.

In a statement to SFGATE, United Airlines spokesperson Anoushah Rasta confirmed there had been a “disturbance” on the flight and that the offending passenger had been banned. “We have banned this passenger,” Rasta wrote in an email.

The Standard has reached out to United Airlines for additional comments.

This incident comes amid other disruptions in air travel, including a recent emergency landing by an easyJet flight from Antalya to Gatwick after a teenage passenger allegedly assaulted a cabin crew member and threatened to stab them.

By Enoch Odesola| January 6, 2025